The Good worth fighting for
by mrsmiawallace88
Summary: Elena, a young girl from the race of Men, had to fight her way into this world right from the beginning. Born under the stars of Rivendell she decided to become an adventurer. Now she has to decide if she will help and rescue Middle Earth with an unlikely Fellowship. Will they succeed fighting down evil and will two lone hearts get together? - This is a BoromirxOC romance!
1. As the stars look down in witness

**This is my first story set completely on "Lord of the Rings" and I hope you enjoy it! **

**The first chapter will be a bit of a background story of the OC which will appear in the second chapter! **

**Like always I am happy to read what you think! Feel free to fav and follow my story! **

**And now: Have fun **

* * *

The evening was warm; surprisingly warm for a mid-autumn evening in the plains of Enedwaith. The small village situated in a hollow close to the river Gwathló which was also called Greyflood, lay isolated and silent beneath the harvest moon.

A lone tomcat was lurking in the shadows, waiting for its prey. Unaware of the furry predator, a rat crawled out of its hiding place and sniffed the air, inhaled it greedily like a prisoner who had been locked away in a dungeon for too long.

The pain was quick and sharp as the claws dug into its flesh like four pairs of daggers. Proud about his successful hunt, the cat was about to carry its trophy home when all of a sudden a claw-like hand grabbed its neck. A loud, painful cry waved through the air before it died down with a snap of its neck.

* * *

Warm fire flickered in the hearth and just like every evening, Erik returned home just to find his beloved wife Helena in front of the fireplace with a book in her hand. Her long, golden hair fell gracefully over her shoulders and her amber colored eyes were fixed on the text. She didn't seem to notice his presence and so he leaned against the doorframe and watched her with an affectionate smile on his lips.

"I know that you are watching me," she suddenly said amused and looked up at him with an ever so lovely smile as well.

He chuckled and approached the sofa. "Do you have eyes on your back?"

"I better do. Once our baby arrived I need to have my eyes everywhere," she replied and stroked gently over her grown belly. Two moons ago the healer had told them she is with child and since that day she felt her body changing; but not just her body, but also her inner self. Her maternal feelings were growing with each passing day and she swore to herself that she would protect her baby like a lioness her cub.

He knelt down in front of her and placed his ear against her belly. Her hands combed tenderly through his short, raven-black hair. "What do you think? Will it be a boy or a girl?" he whispered.

"I don't care about that, Erik. All I want is that it's healthy and safe. And I'm certain we will be able to give our child the best life in this town. The gap of Rohan is just a few days ride from here. No evil will be able to pass through and there is also Isengard. The White Wizard is the highest of his order and will be able to protect these lands, too," she said and cupped his cheeks to pull him up into a meaningful kiss.

She winced when suddenly a loud, painful cry waved through the air outside. They broke the kiss and looked at each other. Fear crept up in her eyes and she tried to get up, but he pushed her down again and placed his finger on his lips signaling her to stay quiet.

Silently he sneaked back to the front door and peeked out of the window next to it. First thing he could see was fire. Part of the town was on fire, black smoke rose into the sky and people ran along the main road screaming for their lives. Amidst the chaos he saw them. Ugly, dirty creatures slaughtering men and taking women as hostages.

"Erik—what's happening?" Helena asked frightened once he returned to the living room where he immediately put the fire out and closed the curtains. "Erik, what is the matter?"

"Orcs—"he simply replied and saw her eyes widen in panic, her hand lay protectively on her belly.

"B—but why? How? Where did they come from?" she asked in disbelief and got up. She followed him into their bedroom where he began packing some of their belongings into two bags. "Erik, what are you doing?"

"Stay calm, my love. We will get out of here, I promise. Nothing will harm you or the baby," he said and took her hand. Together they ran down again and into the kitchen where he lifted some of the wooden boards of the floor up, revealing a hideout. "Come, we take the tunnel," he said and helped her down before he jumped after her, pulling the boards back in place as best as he could.

The small tunnel was dark and muddy and for the first time Erik felt relieved that he had built that small tunnel a while ago, just in case. A case he had hoped would never come and now he had to fly with his pregnant wife. She was still seven moons away from giving birth, but where should they go? Where would they find shelter if the plains were now riddled by orcs?

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, they reached the end of the tunnel. Carefully he lifted the small round door up and peeked outside, his eyes slowly adapting to the darkness. Just a few miles away he saw their hometown burning to the ground and still cries of terror rang through the air. That was when he saw them riding away. Orcs astride on their ugly wargs. He counted at least twenty. After another while he finally crawled outside and helped Helena out as well.

"Are you alright?" he whispered and checked her carefully.

She sobbed and nodded weakly. "I'm fine—do you think there are other survivors?"

He sighed heavily and cast another glance to the burning town. "I highly doubt that."

"Erik? Helena?" a familiar voice suddenly spoke up somewhere behind them and made them jump for a second until they breathed out in relief upon seeing their neighbor with his family of five, as well as three other families.

"You made it out, too? Where did they come from?" Erik asked and approached them with Helena right behind.

"I don't know. I only heard a dying cat screaming and knew something is happening. I grabbed my family and ran as fast as we could. But where do we go now? And Helena, you are with child. You cannot walk for very long," he pointed out.

"I will go a thousand miles if I'll be able to rescue my child with that," she straightened herself and watched all of them determined.

"We should follow the river up north. The closer we get to the elvish territory the less likely is the chance to get ambushed by orcs, right?" Davos, one of the neighbor's eldest sons suggested hopefully.

They all nodded in agreement and so the caravan of survivors made their way north along the shore of the Greyflood river, leaving their burning home behind.

* * *

Six moons had passed since they were driven out of their peaceful life and forced to live in the wild, not knowing what the next day might bring. Helena's belly had grown a lot more which made it even more difficult for her to walk now that she was only one moon away from giving birth to her child. And yet she was proud of herself and of her husband that they had managed to survive even through the winter. She was certain that her child would be a strong survivor someday, too.

She had no idea where exactly they were, but the landscape was rich of green grass and speckled with several rocks and boulders. Not far ahead a patch of forest lay quietly before them and they decided to set their camp for the night. While Davos and his brothers started making a fire, Helena lowered down on the soft grass and drank eagerly from the water skin Erik handed her.

It was twilight already and the air was fresh and alive with fireflies. Erik lowered down behind her and pulled her against his chest, his hands joining hers on top of her belly.

"I am so proud of you, my love," he whispered and pressed his lips into her hair.

"I told you I would protect our child," she smiled and sighed contently while she watched the rising moon slowly making his way up the horizon. Soon, most of them fell asleep while Erik had volunteered to take the first night watch. He cradled Helena in his arms and stroked through her hair while his gaze drifted along the plains, alit by the pale light of the moon.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he made out a movement between the trees just a few feet ahead. Tensing immediately, he felt Helena stir and opening her eyes.

"What's wrong?" she whispered and saw him staring into the darkness.

"There is something out there," he whispered and got up, pulling her with him. Quietly they started waking the camp. All of them were highly alerted and grabbed some stones and branches in hope to protect themselves with these.

A loud screech rang through the night sky and with high speed a group of orcs astride on wargs approached them, breaking out of the shadows of the forest. Children screamed and tried to flee just to be cut down by the evil creatures.

"Erik! Run!" Helena cried out and moved away from the camp, Erik behind her trying to hit one of the orcs with the branch he was holding. The creature chuckled diabolically and threw its dagger at him. The foul blade dug deep into his shoulder and he stumbled for a moment, falling on his knees.

"No!" Helena stopped and stared at her husband, the Orc still approaching with a dark grin on its lips. Her eyes scanned the ground, tried to find a rock or something else she could threw when out of a sudden an arrow flew past her and the sound of many hooves filled the air around her. The orc that had wounded Erik dropped dead from the warg. The furry beast snarled and jumped at Erik, knocked him onto his back and snapped at him but was slain by one of the riders before it could wound Erik any further. Helena cried and dropped onto her knees and crawled along the grass towards her bleeding husband. His breath came fast and erratically, blood dropped from his mouth.

"Erik, please, don't give up," she whispered and cried, her head placed on his chest.

"He—Helena—"he breathed and reached for her face, cupping her cheek. Weakly he smiled at her before a cough built up in his throat, covering her face with a dash of his blood. She didn't care, she simply smiled down at him.

"I'm here, my love. I'm here and you will be fine again," she whispered and pressed her lips on his for a moment for a quick and tender kiss.

Sweat covered his forehead, his hand dropped to the ground again. "Tell—tell her that I love her—"

Burning tears were filling her eyes. "Who?"

"Our—our—daughter—"he breathed before his head rolled to the side.

She stared at him, shook him, and cried his name until she finally broke down on him.

* * *

The pain was excruciating the next time she opened her eyes. She stared up at an open ceiling, revealing the indigo sky with myriads of stars looking down at her like silent guardians.

She cried out again as another wave of pain rolled through her abdomen and finally she looked around. "Who are you?" she breathed in confusion as she looked into the beautiful face of a woman. An elf, this was clearly an elf, Helena thought.

"I am here to help you," she replied calmly. "You must be strong. Your baby is about to come."

Helena's eyes grew wider and she shook her head strictly. "No—no, it is too soon! It is one moon too soon!" she cried and tried to get up but was gently forced down by another pair of strong hands.

"You have to fight now. Your body is weak, but you have to be strong for your baby. Do you think you can do that?" a calm, soothing voice spoke up next to her and she looked up into the warm eyes of a dark-haired elf. He looked elegant and she could feel her body relaxing a little. She sobbed and finally nodded.

A small smile curled his lips and he placed a cup against her lips filled with a golden liquid. "Drink this now. It will give you strength and numb the pain."

She drank eagerly and dropped her head back into the soft pillow, staring at the stars again. "Erik—"she whispered and tears rolled down her cheeks. "He should be here—"

"You have to do it without him now," the elf replied and placed his hand on her belly. "You have to start pushing now."

She sobbed again and inhaled deeply. With each push she felt the strength leaving her body more and more. Her heartbeat slowed down with each passing minute. Suddenly the air was filled with another loud cry. The cry of a new life.

Helena weakly looked down and saw the elf wrapping a tiny bundle into a white cloth. He smiled at her as she reached for it. Carefully he placed the bundle into her arms. A weak cry of joy left her throat as she looked down at the blonde girl. A girl—before the spirit of life had left his body forever Erik had known they would have a daughter.

Her vision became blurry, breathing started to become complicated. She felt more and more warm liquid leaving her body. The elf maid tried to stop it with wet cloths, but to no effect.

"What will be her name?" the dark haired elf asked her and stroked gently over Helena's head to calm her down a bit, trying to take the fear of dying from her.

With one last deep breath she managed to say a name before she drifted into eternal sleep.

"Elena."


	2. The World we live in

**Sorry for the little delay, but my laptop decided to update something without asking me and so I had to write that whole chapter again. Actually, that was good so I could change a few things here and there. The beginning will be quite movie-verse!**

**I hope you enjoy it and if so, please leave a review! ^^ **

**And now…have fun! **

* * *

With a quiet squeak, the wooden carriage stopped in front of a small fence surrounding a beautiful front garden. Gandalf looked up and smiled. It seemed to him as if nothing had changed since the last time he had been in Hobbiton. There was still the same hobbit hole with its round, green front door and the little bench situated next to the flight of stairs.

An amused smiled curled the wizard's lips as he climbed from his carriage and read the sign that had been fastened on the gate.

"No admittance except on party business," he chuckled and shook his head while he strode towards the door of Bag End. Loudly, he knocked against it with his staff.

He had already expected the reaction from inside the house as his old friend called quite annoyed,

"No, thank you! We don't want any more visitors, well-wishers, or distant relations!"

It seemed to him like yesterday as Gandalf thought back nearly sixty years ago when he had visited Bilbo with a certain company of dwarves. Truth be told, they had been like a bull at a gate back then.

"And what about very old friends?" he called amused and leaned a bit on his staff.

After a moment of silence, the door finally opened and a wide, merry smile spread on the old hobbit's face as he spotted the wizard.

"Gandalf?"

"Bilbo Baggins!" the wizard chuckled and dropped onto one knee to embrace his old friend. He placed his hands on Bilbo's shoulder and examined him carefully. "It's good to see you. One hundred and eleven years old, who would believe it! And you haven't aged a day!"

That was a fact that made him feel a bit uncomfortable and yet he laughed and followed Bilbo into his house. After the hobbit had offered him all his delicacies which Gandalf denied eagerly, the wizard lowered down at the dining table. With an amused twinkle in his eyes he watched how Bilbo hid quickly as another knock sounded from the door.

"I've got to get away from these confounded relatives, hanging on the bell all day, never giving me a moment's peace," he grumbled and approached the table again. "I want to see mountains again—mountains, Gandalf—and then find somewhere quiet where I can finish my book. Oh, tea!" he jumped to fetch the kettle from the hearth and poured a cup for the wizard and himself.

"So, you mean to go through with your plan, then?"

"Yes, yes—it's all inhand. All the arrangement are made," he said and sighed.

"Frodo suspects something," Gandalf replied and watched his old friend carefully.

"Of course he does, he's a Baggins—not some block headed Bracegirdle from Hardbottle!"

"You will tell him, won't you?"

Bilbo waved dismissively. "Yes, yes."

"He's very fond of you."

Bilbo sighed and turned away to look out of the window again. "I know. He'd probably come with me if I asked him. I think, in his heart, Frodo's still in love with the Shire, the woods and the fields—little rivers. I am old, Gandalf," he cast a glance at the wizard, his eyes a bit teary wet as he added, "I know I don't look it, but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart."

He started fumbling in his waistcoat pocket. A move Gandalf knew all too well and yet he remained silent, feeling that Bilbo still had more to say even though it seemed to be quite difficult for the Hobbit to admit it. Finally he found his voice again,

"I feel thin—sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread. I need a holiday—a very long holiday and I don't expect I shall return—in fact, I mean not to."

* * *

Several weeks had passed since Bilbo's birthday. After leaving the ring behind in the Shire, Gandalf had decided to do some research about the ring. Something he should have done way earlier. Many, many years earlier he realized while he sat in the depths of the Citadel of Minas Tirith, flipping through ancient scrolls and books he had piled on a wooden table.

Finally he found something that caught his attention. He shifted and pulled the candle closer to read silently,

"_The year 3434 of the Second Age—here follows the account of Isildur, High King of Gondor, and the finding of the ring of power. _

"_It has come to me—the ring of power!_

"_It shall be a heirloom of my Kingdom—all those who follow in my bloodline shall be bound to its fate, for I will risk no hurt to the ring—it is precious to me, though I buy it with great pain._

"_The marking upon the band begin to fade—the writing which at first was as clear as red flame, has all but disappeared. A secret now that only fire can tell—"_

* * *

The early morning sun slowly rose in the east over the mountains surrounding the valley of Imladris. The air smelled of flowers in full bloom, the beehives were full of sticky honey already trickling out of the combs and the birds sang their songs up in the trees.

"And you are certain?" Lord Elrond asked and strode up a flight of stairs with Gandalf right behind. "Did you see the writing?"

"I did. I rode back to the Shire as fast as I could. I have seen it. Or more like—Frodo had seen it after I pulled the ring out of the fire again. You have to trust me. The weapon of the enemy was hidden for too long. Dark forces are stirring for quite some years. The amount of orcs riddling the landscapes rose even higher since—"

"Yes, I know that," Elrond replied sharply and stopped to turn and look at his friend. "The eye of Sauron is fixed on the ring. He wants it back to gain his full power again. Gandalf, the ring is not safe in the Shire. Not any longer," he placed his hand on the wizard's shoulder.

"That's why I plan to send Frodo to Rivendell. The ring might be safe for a while in this valley," Gandalf smiled lightly at the elf lord who seemed to ponder the wizard's words until he finally nodded.

"The way from the Shire to Rivendell is not the safest anymore. That young hobbit needs company."

"He has company. I will send his gardener with him. Samwise Gamgee."

Elrond chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. "His gardener? Gandalf, we are talking about orcs and worse. They cannot just wander the Great East Road with that ring in their bag and without any protection."

They had reached the elf lord's solar. It smelled of paper, flowers and a faint note of rose-scented oil. Gandalf nodded understandingly and sighed. "You are right. They need someone who knows the wild. Send word to her. We will meet in Bree in one week."

* * *

A black stallion kicked dust and earth with its hooves while the wind beat against the rider's face. The sun, a big deep orange orb, stood already low in the sky when the horse slowed down and finally came to a halt on top of a small, grassy hill.

A smile cracked up on her heart-shaped face, bronze colored from all the times she spent outside in the wild. The rider's gaze drifted over the fields of wheat and corn gleaming like a field of molten gold in the slowly setting sun. Bree lay just a few miles ahead, its silhouette more like a shadow in-between the forest that spread across the beautiful landscape.

"Ho, easy boy," Elena mumbled as her horse started snorting and prancing a little. She pushed her forest-green hood over her head, covering her long, golden mane and spurred her horse again. The stallion leaped forward and dashed down the hill until they reached the Great East Road again where she slowed down a bit. She still had no idea what this was all about when a week ago a raven had brought a message to her camp in Amon Sûl. Gandalf, an old friend of her foster father Elrond, wished to speak with her in Bree. She remembered the wizard from her childhood and early youth when his visits to Rivendell had been more frequent than the past few years and yet, this certain matter seemed to be urgent and of high importance that he visited again and asked for her.

It was early evening once she reached the gate of the city. She dismounted her horse and led it along the street until she stopped in front of the wooden sign. "The Prancing Pony," she mumbled. "Well then. Be a good boy and wait for me," she stroked her stallion's neck and tied him outside of the inn. She took her bag and her weapons and entered the building.

Inside the common room was filled with many different guests. High grown and short grown. Hobbits and men. A black cat sat on the counter, eying her suspiciously as she walked past. Carefully, she scanned the room for any sign of the wizard until she smiled and spotted him in the far back of the room smoking his pipe.

"Hiding in shadow and smoke, Gandalf?" she said with a cheeky smile and coughed as she sat down across of him. She waved with her hand to avoid the smoke of his pipe filling her lungs.

"My dear, it is good you made it so quickly," he replied and put his pipe out. Once the smoke had vanished, he leaned forward and placed his hand on hers. "And you are even more beautiful than the last time I saw you."

She chuckled and patted his hands with hers. "And you are still a charmer. But thank you and yes, long time had passed since last I saw you. What problems are you involved in again that you need to talk with me here?"

Her mismatched eyes, green on the left, blue on the right, scanned his face carefully while she waited for his answer. The wizard leaned back again and sighed heavily.

"It's a very long story—"

"Make it short," she smiled and winked at him.

"That is not so easy either. Let's say I am about to send a highly valuable and highly dangerous cargo to Rivendell," he replied warily. He didn't want to speak so openly about it in that location. The dark Lord might have his eyes and ears everywhere.

"And you want me to deliver it?"

He chuckled and clasped his hands. "Not exactly, my dear. I want you to take care of those who do."

"A bodyguard? And who are those who will deliver that certain cargo?" she asked curiously. Gandalf could see he had caught her interest already.

"Two Hobbits. Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee. I will send them on their mission in two weeks from now. I want you to be their shadow. They must not know about your presence."

"You expect some trouble on the road, I see," she mumbled.

"That's why I want them to avoid the road. They will take the route through the forest and far away from the Great East Road. And that's why I need you. You are a skilled archer and reader of tracks. You have already protected a lot of caravans before and believe me—this cargo will be different than any of those you ever protected openly. They will come to Bree first. I will meet them here and if not—there is someone else waiting for them."

"Someone else? I am not the only one you hire to protect them?" she asked surprised and leaned her chin on the back of her hand. "Who will be that other one?"

Gandalf chuckled and sipped from his cup of tea. "Oh, you know him quite well, my dear. That is all you need to know for now. So, my question to you is: are you willing to help?"

Elena twirled a lock of hair around her finger and thought about it for a moment. "Fine—I will help you."

He clapped into his hands and smiled brightly and relieved. "I'm glad to hear this. Like I already said they will depart in two weeks from now. Go to the Shire. Frodo lives in Bag End. Once he leaves with Sam I want you to follow them here."

"Yes, I got this. But I have one last question—"

"Everything, my dear," he smiled at her.

"Why is it so important to deliver that certain cargo to Rivendell? If it's so dangerous, why send it there?"

He shifted a bit on his chair and signaled her to lean in closer. Once she was close enough he whispered,

"If we fail—the world we live in will never be the same again."

* * *

**A/N: From now on there will be a lot more Elena once the quest begins! Stay tuned for my next update! **


	3. Overland and Underhill

It was the first time that Elena saw the rolling hills of the Shire with own eyes. Up until this day, she had only read about this part of the world and was very excited to explore its wonders until she would leave again on the next day as the shadow of two hobbits.

The day was still young; the sun had just barely managed to climb over the horizon to paint the sky in a hue of soft pink. Slowly, her horse trotted along the road and over a bridge of solid stone with a little water mill on the other side. The sound of the quietly murmuring river was almost soothingly and Elena smiled upon seeing all those beautiful hobbit holes. Round, flamboyant doors built into the hills with charming front gardens filled with lots of flowers of all different hues.

Even though hobbits were quite a sociable lot, Elena felt eyes following her suspiciously. She had still no idea what that _important_ and _dangerous_ cargo was those two hobbits had to deliver, but better not alerting them by acting suspicious in any way. Even though it was not an all too rare sight that other races crossed the Shire from time to time, but that were mostly dwarves. The race of men was not a usual sight in these parts and so she decided to search a tavern to spend the day with cold mead, a warm supper and a bed. She'd need some good amount of sleep throughout the day so she would be able to get up very early the next morning to keep an eye on Bag End. That's where Gandalf had told her Frodo Baggins would live.

_Baggins._

Somewhere deep in the back of her mind, that name rang a bell. But no matter how hard she tried to remember what it was, it was without avail. She dismounted her horse, Skydancer, and led him towards a rather small house with a sign hanging at the front. It showed a green dragon. Elena smiled and tied Skydancer outside at a post, took the few bits of luggage she had which was actually just a satchel and a small bag as well as her weapons.

She inhaled the fresh morning air deeply before she finally opened the door to the inn. Her gaze drifted along the common room and found it rather empty.

'_It sure is,'_ she thought. '_It's still quite early.'_

Two elder hobbits sat close to the window, both deep in their own thoughts. The barmaid, a young hobbit lady with curly golden hair and a beautiful dress, stood behind the counter and washed some beer mugs. She looked up as Elena stepped closer.

"Oh, good morning, miss. You seem to be one of those travellers frequenting the roads quite a lot these past weeks," she said with a cheerful smile that showed not the slightest hint of suspicion. She placed the dishtowel down and watched her curiously.

"Yes, I am just passing through and need a place to get some sleep before I leave again early on the morrow," Elena replied and rummaged in her satchel. She revealed a bag of coins and dropped it onto the counter. "I think that should do for a warm bed and a good meal."

"You are a lucky traveller. Though we only have one room for rent, but it's unoccupied since earlier this morning. Come, I'll show it to you," she surrounded the counter and signaled her to follow her into the back of the building.

"My name is Rose, and if you need anything else just let me know," she said with a smile and pushed the door open. It was, of course, a rather small room, mainly made for smaller folk, but for some hours that shall do.

"Thank you, Rose. I'll just store my belongings and return to the common room in a minute. Please, be so kind and fill a mug of cold mead and a plate with some of you delicacies," Elena said with a smile on her lips, her head still hidden under her hood.

Rose nodded and left, her bare feet tapping on the wooden floor. Elena chuckled and placed her luggage on the bed. She hung her bow and the quiver at the peg on the wall. She lifted her tunic and unsheathed the dagger from her waist, flipped it once in the air and placed it on the table next to the bed. She wouldn't need those weapons close at hand now. The Shire seemed to be still the safest and most peaceful place in whole Middle earth.

'_Except my home, of course,'_ she thought and smiled while her mind drifted back to Rivendell. She had been away for quite a while now, three months, and she couldn't wait to see her family and friends again. She knew, of course, that Lord Elrond was not her actual father and Arwen not her sister, but blood-relation didn't matter to her that much. They were the only family she had ever known and she would always call them her father and sister. Elrond had told her what had happened to her real parents and she was proud of her mother and her father for how far they had come and how strong they had been.

She sighed and decided to return to the common room. According to the volume of the voices there seemed to be some more guests by now. She stepped out of the short hallway and into the common room again where she immediately spotted another group of elder hobbits as well as two younger ones. She examined them carefully and snapped out of her thoughts as Rose nudged her arm.

"Chose a table and I'll serve you," she said with a smile and Elena nodded. She lowered down at the table quite in the back of the room, close to the window, and cast a glance outside where she watched Skydancer browsing the juicy grass.

"There you go," Rose's voice pulled her back again as she placed the mug of beer and a plate in front of her. "I hope you like it. Call me if you need more," and with that she hurried to one of the other tables.

Elena sipped from the mead; the cold liquid ran down her throat and refreshed her a lot. She picked up a grape and a piece of cheese and munched it with a smile on her lips.

"I still don't think I'm ready, Mister Frodo," a hushed voice suddenly reached her ear.

_Frodo!_

She cast a glance around the room and finally spotted the two young hobbits again. One of them seemed to be highly excited about something. He drove his hand through his thick, curly blonde hair and leaned in closer to his friend who was rather small with thick, curly dark hair.

'_What a coincidence,' _she smiled lightly. _'Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee right there. Let's see if I can catch a bit more of their conversation.'_

Carefully she shifted a bit until she caught some bit of their talking.

"I promised him to leave tomorrow, Sam. And you will come with me. Or do you want to be turned into a rabbit?" Frodo whispered teasingly and earned a fearful look from Sam.

"N-no, I don't want to be turned into a rabbit. Not the slightest. I just don't understand why we have to risk so much for one tiny golden ring—"

"Sshh," Frodo placed his finger against his own lips and cast a wary glance around the room. Elena had lowered her face quickly, picking up some cheese and examining it for a second before pushing it into her mouth. Her eyes were the only part of her body moving as she looked up for a second. Frodo had already turned back to his friend and whispered,

"You cannot just talk about this here. We don't know what dangerous people are after us. Gandalf had just said that _it_ is not safe in the Shire anymore. And now let's just enjoy our last tasty mead and you better take another good look at Rosie. You might not see her for a while," he said amused and sipped from his drink.

Elena saw that blonde hobbit blush heavily while his fingers fumbled nervously with a button on his vest. She hid a smile and got up, pulling her hood deeper into her face and strode quietly along the room and left for bed. She had heard enough for now. She now knew who she was about to follow and protect the upcoming weeks. And yet, just like Sam had mentioned as well, she did not quite understand what kind of ring they had to deliver.

She shrugged, kicked off her boots and dropped down onto the soft bed. With a content sigh she soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Since the break of dawn, Elena followed them already. After she had left the Green Dragon she had sent Skydancer back home to Rivendell. She knew the only way to act as a shadow was to travel silent and light. A horse, a wild one like her brave stallion, would only give her away.

She had to admit, those two little fellows were quite good walkers and not even the fatter one complained too much about the long way they had already walked. Elena was not far behind them, hiding in the high grass and moving without making too much sound.

Finally, after several hours, they reached a field with many different crops. Frodo was out of sight and with a terrified look on his face, Sam turned in all directions calling his friend's name loudly. Elena ducked just in time; her golden hair gave her enough cover in the field of wheat. She peeked up and frowned. Both Hobbits were gone.

"Oh, you got to be kidding me," she groaned and ran along the field when suddenly a commotion came from somewhere between the crops. She drew her dagger and tried to locate from where the noises came. Carefully she sneaked closer and spied between the crops. Her eyes grew wide in surprise upon seeing not two but four hobbits right in front of her. She retreated silently and scratched her head in confusion. Gandalf had said she had to take care of two. Now there were four and she had the strange feeling they would stick together from now on. She rolled her eyes, her head spun around as she heard the loud barking of dogs and a furious voice, probably the owner of the farm, rang through the air. The hobbits were highly alerted and started grabbing everything they could find: carrots, cabbage and different other vegetables and ran. Elena waited a second before she followed them.

"I don't know why he's so upset, it's only a couple of carrots!"

"And some cabbages—and those three bags of potatoes that we lifted last week. And then the mushroom the week before!"

"Yes, Pippin, my point is, he's clearly over reacting!"

Elena shook her head in amused disbelief about that lot. Suddenly the hobbits vanished from her sight again as they tumbled down a bank and onto the dark, wooded road.

'_Oh no, not the road,'_ Elena ran and jumped down a few feet away from them. The hobbits were too occupied with themselves that they did not see the blonde girl vanishing between the trees. A flock of crows rose from top of a tree nearby upon hearing the rustling of leaves on the ground. Her eyes were fixed on Frodo who wandered a bit apart from the rest while they picked up several wild mushrooms. According to the look on his face he felt just as uncomfortable to be on the road as she did and Elena prayed silently he would be able to lure them all off the road when suddenly the leaves on the road whirled up disturbed by a sudden gush of wind.

That was when she heard it; her heart seemed to freeze in her chest. The sound of hooves hung in the air, drawing closer. The wind brought a high-pitched shriek with him. Her gaze drifted back to Frodo while her hand reached back. She took her bow and an arrow and waited.

"I think we should get off the road," Frodo suddenly turned and ran back to his friends. "Get off the road!" he called more urgently and together the four hobbits hurried off the road and hid under a mossy log at the side of the road. Elena couldn't see them from her position and was about to shift a bit but froze again as she heard the sound of hooves very close now. She ducked and remained silent like the shadow she was.

That was when she saw him. Or it. She couldn't really say what it was, but one thing was for sure. This creature mounted on top of a sinister black horse with eyes as red as burning coals was dangerous. And it seemed as if it was looking for someone. Or something.

'_Or both,'_ Elena thought and tried to cast a glance to the spot where the hobbits were still hiding. Suddenly the dark, hooded creature slid off its horse and leaned over the mossy log. It stared out into the wood. Elena shifted silently, desperately trying not to make any sound until she finally got a perfect view of the four hobbits. One wrong move of them and the creature would catch them and only the gods may know what would happen to them. With a frown she watched Frodo moving his hand into his vest-pocket, revealing something small out of it. It looked like a ring. The ring he was about to deliver, that was for sure.

'_Oh no, you won't do that! I promised to take care of you and you won't risk your own little live now!'_ she thought grimly, nocked an arrow and shot it into the opposite direction. In the same moment, one of the hobbits threw a bag of vegetables into the same direction. The hooded creature shrieked loudly and mounted its horse. With high speed it rode off into the direction, attracted by the noise.

Elena panted heavily and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. The little hairs on the back of her neck rose when she thought back to that horrible sound of the creature and how close it was already. She steadied her breath as she heard the hobbits again.

"What was that, Frodo?"

"I don't know, Merry—" Frodo replied seemingly shocked about the current events. He seemed to know, just as Elena, that the creature was still on their heels and just distracted for a little frame of time. "We have to move on, let's go."

They hurried through the trees until nightfall, the ground beneath their naked feet was muddy and cold. Here and there they stopped and peeked around a tree, making sure that no creature was around.

"Will you tell us now what's wrong?" Merry asked and stopped in front of Frodo. He watched him intently, expecting an answer right now. Frodo seemed to be at a loss of words and Elena could understand him very well. She wished she could go and ask Elrond about that. He would know what this was all about. That was the reason why they were on their way to Rivendell. She sighed and held her breath for a second, certain that she had heard a rustling somewhere between the trees. She took her bow again and cast a glance around the darkness, trying to make out a shadow or something but everything was quiet again except for the hobbits.

"That black rider was looking for something—or someone—Frodo?" Merry pressed on, desperately trying to get an answer from his young friend.

"Get down!" Sam suddenly hissed and the hobbits dropped onto the ground one by one. Elena peeked around the tree and spotted what Sam had just seen as well. A black rider not that far from them loomed against the skyline like a predator on his hunt. Which was actually quite accurate, she thought. Her heart was banging rapidly in her chest until the rider turned and rode off into the darkness again. She breathed out relieved, hadn't even been aware that she had hold her breath.

"I have to leave the Shire—Sam and I must go to Bree," Frodo finally found his voice again.

Merry watched him wordlessly for a moment, realizing that his friend seemed to be in some deep trouble. He thought and finally his face lightened up. "Right—Buckleberry Ferry—follow me!"

They were about to leave when suddenly, out of nowhere, a black rider appeared right in front of them astride on its evil horse. The hobbits screamed in shock and turned, running through the forest with Merry in the lead.

Elena nocked and arrow and shot it but missed. She cursed under her breath and stepped out from behind her hiding place and raced after them. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw more than one rider on the heels of the hobbits. She counted four. Four riders. Four hobbits. She growled and sped up a bit, trying not to trip and fall.

Fog hung in the air the closer they came to the river. Merry, Pippin and Sam ran across the wharf and tumbled onto the wooden ferry. Sam look up in shock, realizing that Frodo was still missing.

"Frodo!" he called loudly.

The riders came closer and closer while Frodo ran towards the ferry. Elena had no other choice. She knew if those hobbits were on the ferry they might be safe until the other side of the river and maybe even find their way to Bree by themselves for it was not too far from there anymore. She had to do something even though it might be a suicidal idea.

She nocked an arrow and shot it, hitting one of the horses in the backside. It screamed and reared up. The riders stopped as Elena cried loudly,

"Hey, you dirty rats! Try get someone of your size!"

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Frodo finally tumbling onto the ferry. The hobbits were safe. Her work was done for now. She sheathed her bow onto her back again and wished to have Skydancer with her before she bolted off into the night, the black riders following her with loud, horrible screeches.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed that chapter and sorry for that little cliffhanger but I try to update as soon as possible again! **

**Like always, I'd loooove to read what you think. So don't hesitate to drop some nice words into the review box. Each review makes me incredibly happy! **


	4. Nosse means family

**First of all: Thank you so, so much for all those wonderful reviews so far! I am happy to read that you enjoy this story so keep the reviews coming, my lovely readers! **

**This chapter will be a bit of a ride! I hope you enjoy it! **

* * *

The rain still poured down on her while Elena plowed on through the bushes and trees; her breath came hard and heavy and mingled with the diabolic grunting of the black horses still on her heels.

She ducked under a low-hanging limb and nearly lost her footing, but managed to grab another branch and steadied herself again. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder, aware that only two riders were behind her. Panic crept up in her and the ice-cold hand of fright closed around her heart again. Where were the other two riders? Would they jump out of the bushes in front of her or, even worse, did those two leave and headed after the hobbits instead?

She pushed these thoughts aside and scrambled down a steep cut. It gave her the chance to put a bit more distance between her and her persecutors. Desperately she cast a glance along the path, tried to find a place to hide. Her head snapped to the side again when the sound of hooves on muddy ground reached her ears yet again. Elena ran deeper into the forest until she saw no other way out of that situation and so she jumped up, grabbed one thick branch of a huge pine tree and climbed up until she was out of those hooded creatures reach. She clasped the branch she was sitting on with her legs and grabbed the trunk of the tree to prevent from falling.

"Now you're not so eager to come and get me, right? Afraid of heights you evil weasels?" she called triumphantly while her body slowly came down from its high. The adrenaline that was pumping through her veins vanished and she leaned her head against the trunk, still heavily panting.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the two creatures screeched loudly, as if they were both in pain _and_ highly excited at the same time. They reared their horses and galloped into the night. Elena frowned and stared after them until they were completely out of sight.

She waited a while before she decided it would be safe to climb down again. She pushed her hood back and ruffled her sweaty, long blonde mane a bit; she enjoyed the cold rain on her head and climbed back up the steep cut she had taken earlier and cast a glance along the forest. The night was silent again; the only sound that reached her ear was the faint _shu hu_ of a brown owl somewhere above her in the crown of a tree.

Whatever these riders attracted to the hobbits, Elena was certain these four little men were not in safety. Not even if they had reached Bree already. Something had happened that had drawn her two chasers away from her. And if she had seen it right, they had taken the way to the Brandywine Bridge.

And that was the way she took as well, silently praying the hobbits had reached the Prancing Pony and with that their next guardian. Whoever that might be.

* * *

The common room of the _Prancing Pony_ was dimly lit and crowded by big folk, hobbits and even a couple of dwarves. It was too crowded and too noisy for Frodo's liking. He, Sam, Merry and Pippin were sitting at one of the tables near the wall. They wanted to remain quiet and unsuspicious; though Sam kept casting some nervous glances around the room.

"Sam, he'll be here. He'll come," Frodo whispered determined, though he was not so certain at all. He had expected that Gandalf would be waiting for them in Bree, but the owner of the inn hadn't seen the wizard for at least six month anymore.

Even though Gandalf had mentioned he might not come and send someone else instead, it made him feel more than uncomfortable. He didn't even know who that mysterious stranger would be. Finally, Merry stopped his train of thoughts when he returned from the bar and bumped a very large mug of beer on the wooden table with a bright grin on his face.

"What's that?" Pippin asked with an amazed twinkle in his eyes.

"This, my friend, is a pint."

Pippin's jaw dropped slightly open for a second. "It comes in pints? I'm getting one!"

He rose unsteadily to his feet and headed to the bar to get a mug for him as well.

"You've had a whole half already!" Sam called after him, but the young hobbit did not listen. Sam could not get rid of the feeling of being watched and so his gaze drifted around again, his whole body tensed a bit. That was when he spotted him; a brooding stranger who sat alone at one of the tables in the far corner of the room, smoking a long stemmed pipe and peering from beneath his travel stained hood with his gleaming eyes.

"That fellow's done nothing but stare at you since we've arrived," he whispered to Frodo and signaled him with a short nod whom he was referring to. Frodo's gaze drifted to the stranger and stopped the barkeeper who was carrying some mugs past their table.

"Excuse me, that man in the corner, who is he?" he asked quietly.

Butterbur, the owner of the inn, looked over at the stranger for a second. "He's one of them Rangers; they're dangerous folk they are, wandering the wilds. What his right name is, I never heard, but round here he's known as Strider."

Frodo nodded dismissively and the barkeeper left them alone again. "Strider," the young hobbit whispered to himself, his fingers started nervously toying with the ring beneath the table. He suddenly felt quite unwell, sweat ran down his brow and the sound of his rushing blood filled his ears. Or was it the ring making that strange humming sound? No, that was impossible. And did someone just say his name? Whispered it in a creepy way into his ear? Suddenly he winced and looked up towards the bar where he spotted Pippin with some strangers.

"Baggins? Sure, I know a Baggins! He's over there!"

Frodo leaped to his feet and pushed his way through the crowd towards the bar, eager to stop Pippin from talking too much.

"Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin once removed, on his mother's side and my third cousin twice removed on his father's side—if you follow me," Pippin continued quite loudly now. Frodo grabbed him by his sleeve which causes him to spill a bit of his beer.

"Pippin, stop!"

"Steady on, Frodo!" Pippin protested and pushed his friend away. Frodo stumbled backwards and fell flat on the floor. Much to his horror, the ring slipped out of his hand and he feared it would drop somewhere and vanish from his sight forever. Gandalf would be more than furious if he lost the ring in an inn full of gloomy, dangerous people. He reached up to grab the ring out of the air when suddenly it dropped and slipped onto his stretched finger.

He had no idea what was happening when he found himself in a strange, cold twilight world. He could see the crowd around him moving in slow motion as if something had taken over the control of time. A sharp pain invaded his head and he clutched it, feeling watched by an eye; a great eye, like an evil cat, wreathed in flames.

The young hobbit was more than terrified. He rolled under the table, still desperately trying to pull the ring from his finger. Finally he pulled it off and returned to the real world. He panted heavily but had no time to calm down when suddenly a large hand reached under the table and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him away.

"You draw far too much attention to yourself—Mr. Underhill," the stranger from earlier said pushing him roughly against the wall before he dragged him upstairs to the bedchambers. The stranger pushed him into the hobbit's room.

"What do you want?" Frodo asked fearfully and watched the stranger heading to the window, casting a wary look outside.

"A little more caution from you—that is no trinket you carry," he gestured at Frodo's pocket.

"I carry nothing," the hobbit protested.

A light smile curled the other's lips. "Indeed? I can usually avoid being seen if I wish, but to disappear entirely—that is a rare gift."

"Who are you?"

The stranger turned and approached him again. "Are you frightened?"

"Yes."

"Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you."

Frodo suddenly jumped at the commotion in the corridor, Strider drew his sword when the door burst open and Sam, Merry and Pippin stumbled into the room. Sam lifted his fists, Merry brandished a candlestick and Pippin grabbed a chair.

"Let him go or I'll have you, Longshanks!" Sam growled angrily.

Strider sheathed his sword and smiled lightly again. "You have a stout heart, little hobbit, but that alone won't save you. You can no longer wait for the wizard, Frodo. They're coming."

* * *

The crashed down gate was the first signal to Elena that something had happened. Emerging from out of the forest she ran towards the broken gate of Bree, desperately hoping the riders hadn't found the hobbits yet.

"Help—"

She stopped and listened.

"Help me—"

The voice came from somewhere near the gate. She turned and cast a glance around when suddenly she spotted a hand under the wooden gate. She gasped and quickly pushed the gate up, revealing a man with blood covered face.

"Oh my—"she breathed and pushed the wood aside and knelt down next to the man. "Can you sit up?" she asked concerned and helped him up once he nodded. His nose seemed to be broken but all in all he seemed to be fine. Elena rummaged in her satchel and revealed a little flask filled with a golden liquid.

"You should drink this. It will bring back the strength and warmth to your body. Trust me," she opened the flask and placed it against his lips. The man drank eagerly and managed to shift a bit so he could lean his back against the wall.

"Th-thank you," he mumbled and reached up to touch his nose but hissed in pain. "Guess I need to see a healer."

She nodded and cast a glance along the street, which was strangely dead. She frowned and turned to look at him again. "What happened to you?" she asked though she already knew the answer. She couldn't say for sure, but she thought she had heard the snorting of horses just down the road somewhere close to the inn.

"I—I can't really say. It happened too fast. I heard the sound of hooves drawing closer and—and I was looking through the peephole to see who was riding so hard in the dead of night. The next thing I knew was the gate crashed down on me and four riders entered the city. Please, tell me—do you know these riders?"

She shook her head. "Can't say I _know_ them, but I have seen them earlier today as well. Dark, gloom and highly dangerous people they are; _if_ they are human at all. I hadn't seen their faces for they are covered under dark hoods. Look, you are the guard of this gate. Did you see four little hobbits enter the city this night?"

He scratched his forehead and nodded. "Yes, there were those four little fellows; came here not long ago. I suppose they went to the Prancing Pony. Why? Are you a friend of them?"

"Kind of that, yes. Look, you should really go see a healer and head back home. Do you think you can walk?" she asked and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Suddenly a loud, high-pitched scream waved through the air and made her skin crawl. She turned and looked down along the road. She had heard this scream several times in that night and so she knew they either had found the hobbits or, and she silently prayed it would be like that, the hobbits had left Bree before those creatures could've found them.

The sound of hooves reached her ears again. She grabbed the man under his arms and helped him get up on his feet. He stumbled a bit and steadied himself against the wall with one hand.

"Be quiet and follow me," said and together they moved into the shadow between the wall and the nearby house.

"What are those creatures?" he whispered and leaned a bit onto her shoulder with one hand while she peeked around the corner. She held her breath once the four black riders raced around the corner and along the muddy road towards the gate. Fast like the wind they dashed past them and vanished into the night again. Elena hadn't seen any sign of the hobbits and was certain the four little men were still alive.

"I honestly have no idea. All I know is that they are hunting my friends and that's why I have to leave you now and go look for them. I hope they are still alive. Do you think you can walk alone to the healer?"

He nodded with a light smile. "I have to thank you, young lady. Without your help they might have trampled me again on their way out. Who knows if I would be alive after that? Thank you for rescuing my life. Whenever you decide to return, come to me and I'll buy you a drink or two," he chuckled despite the pain in his nose.

Elena patted his shoulder gently and sent him a warm smile. "I'll gladly come back one day."

* * *

After the fearsome night which the hobbits had _not_ spent in their own room but in that of Strider, the group had left Bree behind very early in the morning. They marched through an overgrown forest with Sam as the last leading a scrawny pony they had named Bill which was laden with their supplies.

"Where are you taking us?" Frodo asked Strider who was marching ahead of them, his eyes scanning the surrounding warily here and there.

"Into the wild," he replied calmly and moved on, climbing over roots and rocks.

Merry approached Frodo and leaned in closer. "How do we know this Strider is a friend of Gandalf?" he whispered and watched the stranger suspiciously.

"We have no choice but to trust him," Frodo replied.

"But where is he leading us?" Sam pressed on a little concerned.

Strider came to a halt and cast a glance back at Sam who looked up, fearing he would be beaten to death or anything.

"To Rivendell, Master Gamgee—to the house of Elrond. Just like Gandalf had wanted to."

That was the moment Sam's eyes lightened up a bit. He stroked over Bill's mane and said excited, "Did you hear that, Bill? Rivendell! We're really going to see the elves! And I already thought we wouldn't reach that place at all."

Strider cast another glance around, smiled a little and moved on. They walked several more miles until they reached the windswept moors. That was when the hobbits stopped and unstrapped their bags. Strider turned around in confusion.

"Gentlemen, we do not stop until nightfall."

"What about breakfast?" Pippin asked confused.

He frowned. "You've already had it."

Pippin straightened and lifted his chin a bit. "We've had one, yes—but what about Second breakfast?"

Strider stared at him blankly until he finally turned away, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip," Merry mumbled.

Pippin followed him. "What about Elevenses, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, dinner—he knows about them, doesn't he?"

"I wouldn't count on it," Merry replied and shook his head lightly. Suddenly an apple flew towards him. He deftly caught it and looked up in surprise. Another one was aimed at Pippin who did not react as quickly as his friend and got caught on the forehead by the fruit.

Soon the rain had caught them again, and the sun was already on its way down towards the horizon. Strider knew those hobbits were tired and hungry and so he went to look out for a safe place to make a camp for the night. He found a great oak tree standing on the edge of a little forest area.

"We will camp here for the night. But no fires! We cannot risk the attraction of the Nazgul in open space," he called back and placed his own back beneath the tree which also gave them a bit protection from the rain. The hobbits were more than relieved and dropped their bags and slumped down onto the soft, wet grass. Sam had tightened Bill to the tree and started unfolding their bedrolls.

"I am so hungry. Can't we just roast a few sausages and bacon?" Pippin complained and stared longingly at the bag with their food provisions.

"You won't starve if you eat fruits and vegetables, Master Hobbit," Strider said and grabbed the bag and revealed some tomatoes, carrots and apples. He handed them out and watched them eating still a bit annoyed that there was no meat for them again this night. He grinned and cast another glance into the forest, aware of the rustling of leaves on the ground.

"You stay here," he said and got up. "I will be back quickly. And _no_ fires or else you can see how you defend yourself from those riders," he added with a warning look and stepped into the forest. He stayed in shouting distance of the group and relieved himself against a tree. Once he closed the cords of his pants again he heard a cracking branch somewhere behind him. He chuckled, didn't even care to draw his sword.

"You may be able to hide from the hobbits, but you seem to forget who taught you," he said into the night with a cheeky grin on his face.

He whirled around, aware that she was about to tackle him to the ground just like she always used to do. Elena squeaked and giggled as he pinned her to the ground.

"Let me go, Aragorn," she chuckled and kicked against his shin. He rolled down from her and hissed in pain a bit. He sat up and rubbed his shin, his gaze drifted to her sitting up as well with a cheeky grin on her lips, panting a little. "So it was you Gandalf sent to protect the hobbits from Bree," she stated and nudged his arm playfully.

"Indeed. You did a good job, Elena," he said with a hint of proudness waving in his voice.

She waved at him dismissively. "I hadn't been able to protect them once they had crossed the river."

"What happened at the river?" he asked curiously and got up. He offered her his hand and pulled her up onto her feet again.

"There had been those black riders. They followed them. I had to act quickly and so I shot an arrow at one of them. That gave Frodo some time to reach the ferry and I ran off to draw them away from the hobbits and into the forest again. I was sitting on top of a tree until the two remaining riders screeched and left as if something had called them," she explained and brushed some dirt off her leather armor.

Aragorn nodded thoughtfully. "That must have been the moment when Frodo had slipped the ring onto his finger."

She stepped closer and examined his face. "What kind of ring is that?"

"I cannot tell you now. Not here. We have to return to Rivendell as soon as possible," he took her hand and squeezed it gently. "And now that you are here I'd like to know you are safe. Come with us. Don't travel alone."

"I am used to—"

"Elena, you are brave and strong, but these creatures will get you sooner or later. They will know you helped them and they will catch you and torture you until you tell them where those hobbits are going to. Please, don't be reckless."

She looked into his eyes and finally sighed in defeat. "Fine—how could I refuse my big brother?"

He chuckled and ruffled her golden hair. Ever since they grew up together in the house of Elrond together with Arwen and Elladan and Elrohir, they grew closer and closer and soon they were all just like real siblings; except that Elena wasn't blind and knew exactly that Arwen and Aragorn had deeper, romantically feelings for each other. But to her, Aragorn would always be like a big brother who had taught her so much of the wild and how to move quick and silent like a shadow. He had been her mentor and her most trusted advisor. She would go and talk to him whenever she needed help and he was always glad to give her advices.

"We will always stick together, right?" she said and smiled at him as he nodded comfortingly. He placed his arm around her shoulder and placed a kiss on top of her head.

"Let's go back. I think there are four little men who should finally get to know you," he chuckled and pulled her with him.

Frodo was the first who spotted Strider and the girl. He saw a bow and a quiver with arrows strapped onto her back, dressed in dark green and brown leather armor. Was she some kind of Ranger, too? Or was she a spy of the enemy?

"Who is that?" Pippin was the first to ask and watched her curiously.

Aragorn let go of her. "This, gentlemen, is the reason you are still alive."

The four hobbits exchanged some confused glances before their gazes drifted back to the young woman who grinned cheekily at them.

"What does he mean by that?" Merry asked her.

Elena stepped closer into their camp and tilted her head towards them. "My name is Elena and I was your protector on your way from Hobbiton to the Brandywine river."

Merry got up and approached her. "So it was not an illusion? You were really there drawing the attention of the riders to you?"

She watched him surprised. "You saw me?"

"Well, I thought I saw someone. Actually I thought it was just my imagination and I couldn't see that far anyway because of the rain and the darkness. But now it seems my eyes hadn't lied to me," he grabbed her hands and squeezed them. "Thank you so much."

Elena chuckled and patted his shoulder. "It was my task to protect you—even with my own life."

One by one the others got up and bowed in front of her, thankfully for her brave actions back at the river.

"Elena will travel with us from now on. Openly, of course," Aragorn chuckled.

"You followed us the whole time already? How can it be that we didn't see you?" Pippin asked and gestured her to sit down between Merry and him. She sat down and sipped from the water-skin Merry handed her.

"I had some long, good training to act quiet as a shadow," she replied and cast a glance at Aragorn who winked at her. He saw that the hobbits seemed to be fascinated by her and eager to hear more about her.

Frodo watched her thoughtfully until he asked curiously, "And you know him?" he gestured at Strider as if he wanted to know if they could really trust him.

Elena nodded with an amused smile on her face. "I know him very well, yes. He is—he is _nosse_."

They watched her puzzled. "What does that mean?" Sam asked confused.

She cast another glance at Aragorn before she looked back at the others and explained,

"_Nosse_ means family. And family means no one gets left behind."

* * *

**Yay, now the group is united. We will finally reach Rivendell in the next chapter after some turbulence on their following way and we will also finally meet the rest of the fellowship ;) **


	5. The night is dark and full of terrors

A fortnight had passed since they had left Bree and still had quite a long way ahead of them. It was late afternoon and the sun stood already low at the firmament as the group stopped on a small hill overlooking a plain of bright, green grassland. In the distance they could see what seemed to be the ruin of an old fortress.

"What is that?" Merry asked curiously and stepped up next to Elena. She cast a quick glance down at the hobbit before she explained,

"This was once the great watchtower of Amon Sûl,"her gaze drifted to Aragorn who seemed to be deep in thoughts. "We should rest here tonight. I had my camp there before I went to the Shire. This place is safe, I am certain."

He nodded thoughtfully. "No place is safe anymore, but you might be right. This is the only place with at least a bit protection. We should hurry now. I want to reach it before nightfall."

Once they reached the Weathertop, the four hobbits collapsed into a small hollow, halfway up to the actual fortress. Mud and sweat covered their faces and Elena chuckled as she saw the first thing Pippin did was searching his bag for something eatable.

"It's incredible how much food fits into such a small body," Elena chuckled and turned away from them to join Aragorn who stood silently gazing at the horizon. "What are you thinking about?"

He sighed and drove his hand through his dark, messy hair. "It doesn't feel right to stop, actually. And we waste too much time. We could be in Rivendell much faster if only those hobbits would walk more and eat less."

"You cannot expect that they stop living the way they are used to within a few weeks. Hobbits need those meals and they seldom leave their home to go on adventures. You have to give them more time. And we haven't seen any black rider the past weeks. Calm down a bit, Aragorn," she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently before she turned and lowered down between Frodo and Sam.

"How do you feel?" she asked Frodo who seemed to be just as thoughtful as Aragorn. He flinched a bit as if he hadn't noticed her.

"I feel cold and tired. How long do we have to walk until we reach Rivendell?"

She shrugged. "It's hard to say. Under normal circumstances I'd say maybe one week."

"Are we too slow?" Pippin asked and munched on a piece of bread. He offered her a piece which she took with a grateful smile.

"No, not slow. It's just—well,yes, we are a bit slow but that is not _your_ fault. We have to be aware of so many things that might hinder us."

"You know what we need right now?" Merry said after a moment of silence.

"No, what?" Sam asked curiously.

"A song! To lighten the mood a bit. Frodo, you know some good ones. Let's hear one," he nudged his friend's arm. Frodo smiled lightly at them and sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but only one! It's one I know from Uncle Bilbo. He said he had learned it many years ago when he was in Rivendell for the first time," he said and cleared his throat before he got up and began to sing:

'_There's an inn, there's an inn,  
there's a merry old inn  
beneath an old grey hill,  
and there they brew a beer so brown  
that the man in the moon himself came down  
one night to drink his fill._

_The ostler has a tipsy cat_  
_that plays a five-stringed fiddle;_  
_and up and down he runs his bow,_  
_now squeaking high, now purring low,_  
_now sawing in the middle._

_So the cat on his fiddle, played hey-diddle-diddle,_  
_a jig that would wake the dead;_  
_he squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,_  
_while the landlord shook the man in the moon:_  
_It's after three! He said!'_

With his last breath he ended the song and slumped down and chuckled about his friends' reactions, all of them laughing and clapping merrily.

"I suggest you keep your voices down," Aragorn said as he joined them, rummaging in his bag. He revealed four small swords and handed each hobbit his own. They inspected them carefully and looked up at him.

"You do know that none of us has ever wielded a sword, don't you?" Pippin said and lifted his sword awkwardly. It nearly slipped out of his hand and Elena was about to catch it, but much to her relief he managed to steady it again.

"Indeed, you would need a lot of training once we have time for that. Right now we should all rest a bit so we can move on early tomorrow," she said and ruffled Pippin's hair a bit before she lay down and closed her eyes.

* * *

She had no idea how long she had slept, when all of a sudden she jerked awake by a commotion in the camp. Upon opening her eyes she saw Frodo grumbling at his friends and putting a fire out.

"You didn't really start a fire in the night, did you?" she asked and got up, looking for Aragorn but he was nowhere to be seen. "Why would you do that?" she glared angrily at Pippin who still munched a piece of fried sausage.

He gulped and shoved the rest of the sausage into his mouth. "We were—hungry?" he said muffled.

"For what? Death?" she asked and spun around when suddenly a loud, blood-freezing shriek waved through the night coming from the lowlands and seemingly not too far away. Elena turned around quickly and gestured them to grab their weapons and climb up the steps to reach the actual fortress. There was still no sign of Aragorn around and she wondered where he might be.

"You have to be brave now," she breathed once they reached the summit, standing back-to-back in the middle of the stone ring awaiting the black riders. "Keep your weapons close, but only attack on my command."

"Where is Strider?" Sam asked desperately. His heart was pumping rapidly in his chest, eager to defend Frodo from any enemy that would try lay hand on his friend.

"I don't know, but he cannot be far. He will come—"she replied and drew her bow and nocked an arrow as she saw five shadowy, dark robed creatures stepping into the stone ring, approaching them slowly.

They brandished some sort of evil gleaming swords and Elena didn't wait a second longer as she shot her first arrow. She had seen it coming that it would be deflected and so she nocked another one, trying to aim for one of the other Nazgul. The arrow hit right into its face, or whatever it was they were hiding under their robes but it had little to no effect.

"Back, you devils!" Sam screeched and rushed forward with a cry.

"No!" Elena whirled around to stop him but he was surprisingly fast and was out of her reach on instant. He swung his sword at the leading Nazgul, but much to his horror the creature deflected the blow and made his own blade shatter in his hands. He stared at the hilt of his broken blade and back to the creature. The impact of the slap knocked him out and sent him flying and crashing against a pillar nearby.

"Stay back, you dirty rats!" Elena growled and stepped protectively in front of Frodo, Merry and Pippin, aiming an arrow at the creatures but it seemed they took little to no notice to her weapon as they moved closer and closer.

"I warn you! One step closer and I will—"the air got knocked out of her lungs as one of the creatures drove its fist into her stomach and pushed her aside. She cried out and lay on the ground, curled up in a ball and groaning in pain. Tears shot in her eyes and through the blur she saw Merry and Pippin lying flat on the ground while Frodo suddenly vanished completely out of sight. She had no idea if she was just hallucinating or not, but after another second he appeared again crying loudly in pain as he clutched his shoulder. Just by then she spotted the dark, foul blade of a dagger in the Nazgul's hand.

'_Where are you, brother? We need you—'_she prayed silently that Aragorn, her brother by heart, would come and rescue them quickly or else she was certain they would all die tonight.

Sam staggered back to his feet and stumbled to where Frodo lay on the ground when out of nowhere, Aragorn appeared. He wielded his sword in one hand and a burning torch in the other. With a loud battle-cry he charged at the Nazgul and much to Elena's relief, these creatures seemed to be afraid of fire as she saw them backing away and scream in fury and pain as their robes caught fire. One by one they turned and fled from the summit of the Weathertop.

"Mr Frodo!"

Elena turned as Sam cried out desperately and saw the little hobbit lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Aragorn helped her up.

"Are you injured?" he asked and watched her intently.

She shook her head and nodded towards Frodo. "But he needs help. He's already quite pale. What kind of weapon was that? It looked foul," she said and knelt down next to the hobbits, checking if Sam, Merry and Pippin were fine.

"He's been stabbed by a Morgul blade," Aragorn replied and examined the dagger until it suddenly melt in his hands and vanished like a cloud of smoke in the air. He dropped it in disgust and turned towards them again.

"_Do_ something!" Sam exclaimed, his voice full of fear and anger. He clutched Elena's sleeve and tugged at her arm as if she would be able to wield some magic spell or carried a potion to heal such wounds. Sadly, she was unable to do anything and looked up at Aragorn.

He held her gaze for a second before he sighed heavily. "This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs Elvish medicine," he said urgently and lifted Frodo carefully over his shoulder. The hobbit groaned and cried out again.

"Be careful!" Sam said quite upset. Elena strapped her bow to her back and sheathed her sword. She signaled them to gather their backs quickly.

"We cannot linger here any longer. We have to reach Rivendell as soon as possible. No extra stops or big meals on the way. You have to think of your friend now and not of your growling stomachs, do you understand?" Elena told them and earned some hushed nods as the three hobbits grabbed their bags and little swords and followed Aragorn and her down from the Weathertop, each hobbit carried also a flaming torch as some protection now that they had learned that the Nazgul feared fire.

* * *

Elena jogged next to Aragorn. "We are still six days from Rivendell. He won't make it without healing," she cast a glance back at Sam and the others to make sure they hadn't heard her. Frodo groaned again, his eyes already clouded. He was barely conscious.

"Hold on, Frodo," Aragorn said and turned to look at her. "He'll make it, trust me."

They ran further through forests and over rocks and over plains until they reached a clearing. It was night and they hadn't rested since the Weathertop. One by one felt their strength fading and Sam stumbled and dropped onto his knees, so did Merry and Pippin.

"Please—stop—we cannot—too much—just a moment," Merry huffed and puffed and drank from his water bag.

Reluctantly, Aragorn placed Frodo into the soft grass. Elena knelt down next to him and brushed his forehead with a cold, wet cloth. His skin was pale, his eyes flickered open lightly all red and tired and as if not in this world anymore.

"Is he going to die?" Pippin asked concerned and looked down at his friend whose breathing was getting shallower with each passing day. Elena looked up at Aragorn.

"Is there really nothing to stop the fever?" she asked desperately as she caught him staring thoughtfully into the darkness. "There has to be something! He cannot die like this!"

"He won't die," he said calmly and turned to look at her, his eyes full of sorrow. "He is passing into the shadow world; he will soon become a wraith like _them."_

"We did not travel so far and risk so much just to give up now!" she protested and got up and approached him, clutching his shirt. She leaned her forehead against his chest and sighed heavily. "I cannot—I won't let him die! He does not deserve this!"

He wrapped his arms around her and leaned his chin on top of her head. They winced as another distant cry rang through the nightsky.

"They are close—"Aragorn said and stepped away from her, casting a glance around. It seemed as if he was looking for something. "Sam, do you know the Athelas plant?"

Sam watched him blankly as if he hadn't understood his question. "Athelas?"

"Kingsfoil," Elena explained and smiled lightly as she saw his eyes lighten up a bit.

"Aye, it's a weed. Why do you ask? Could it help him?" he asked desperately and staggered back to his feet.

Aragorn shrugged. "It may help to slow the poison. Hurry! You and me. Elena, stay with them. Call if you need help!"

She nodded and watched Sam and him vanishing between the trees. She unsheathed her sword and knelt down next to Frodo again, pushing some sweaty, dark curls out of his face. Merry and Pippin shifted closer to her, eyes darting out into the darkness whenever they heard the cracking of a branch or the rustling of a mouse or rabbit between the bushes.

"They are not as near as he feared, don't worry. And as long as we have the fire, nothing will harm us. You two should eat and drink a bit. Maybe some slumber until we can move on,"she suggested but both of them shook their heads in protest.

"No. Frodo needs us. We cannot just take a nap while he is on the edge of—of—"Merry said with his voice fading. Carefully he took one of Frodo's hands, Pippin the other and so the three of them waited patiently for the return of the others. Elena prayed silently that Sam or Aragorn would find some Athelas plants.

Suddenly they heard the sound of hooves drawing closer. Sam and Aragorn returned with some plants. Elena jumped up as she saw the elf woman astride on a beautiful horse. She slid gracefully down from it and hurried to them. She embraced Elena shortly and placed a kiss on her cheek before she knelt down next to Frodo.

"Frodo, I'm Arwen. Telin let thaed. I am Arwen, I have come here to help you. Lasto beth nin, tolo dan na ngalad. Hear my voice, come back to the light," she mumbled with the palm of her hand placed on Frodo's forehead.

The hobbit's eyes closed and Arwen shook him a little. "Frodo?"

Pippin shifted closer to Elena. "Who is she?"

"She's an elf," Sam said.

"Yes, I can see that. But why is she here?"

Elena smiled lightly at them. "Her name is Arwen. She is the daughter of Lord Elrond. She is like a sister to me."

"Oh," Pippin breathed and watched the beautiful elf lady, her hair tousled and dressed in mud-splattered riding clothes and yet she was gracefully. She got up turned towards them.

"He's fading. He's not going to last. We must get him to my father."

Aragorn didn't waste time as he lifted Frodo up and placed him carefully on top of the horse. Elena stepped closer to him. "Are you sure that you want to ride? We could need you here. Let me go—"

"No," Arwen appeared between them and placed a hand on Elena's arm. Elena looked her in the eye and asked curiously,

"Why are you here? I mean, how do you know we are here?"

"I have been looking for you for two days now. There are five Wraiths behind you, where the other four are, I do not know. Father sent me to guide you safely."

Aragorn took the reins. "Stay with the hobbits. I'll send horses for you," he cast a glance at them both.

Arwen shook her head and took the reins out of his hand. "I'll take him. I'm the faster rider."

He smiled in defeat and took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. Elena smiled and turned away from them, giving them a moment of privacy. Since she was little she knew that they had feelings for each other deeper than anything she'd ever seen.

"Where is she taking him?" Pippin asked her as they watched Arwen mounting her horse with Frodo pressed against her chest.

"To Rivendell. Only Lord Elrond can help him now. Don't worry, he will make it," Elena said and cast a glance at Arwen who returned that gaze.

"Isn't the road too dangerous?" Elena asked concerned.

"If I can cross the river, the power of my people can protect him," Arwen replied and smiled down at Aragorn. They all could see how hard it was for them to part ways again.

Finally he stepped away from her horse. "Arwen—ride hard, don't look back."

"Noro lim, Asfaloth, Noro lim!" she called and her horse sprung forward, carrying Arwen and Frodo into the night.

"What are you doing? These beasts are still out there! They will catch them and kill them both!" Sam cried out and Elena pulled him into an embrace, trying to sooth him by stroking through his curly, blonde hair.

"You will see him again very soon. I promise you that, Sam," she whispered and cast a glance at Aragorn who nodded lightly.

They decided to rest that night and move on at the first light of the next day. The hobbits curled up around a warm fire and soon Elena was asleep as well, plagued by horrific dreams. Aware of her tossing and turning, Aragorn shifted towards her and pulled her into his arms, holding her warm and tight until her dreams were fading and her sleep became peaceful again.

* * *

**A/N: Wooohooo…hope you enjoyed this chapter! Be prepared for the next one which will finally be in Rivendell and Elena will meet Boromir for the first time… we'll see how that turns out :P **

**Like always, I'd love to read what you think! So, just drop some lines in the review box! **


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